The tension thickened like fog, wrapping around them as Rain's silver eyes locked onto the rogue leader. He stood poised yet relaxed, as if he had all the time in the world. His wolves flanked him, their snarls low and vibrating through the air like an unspoken challenge.
Nathaniel took a slow step forward, his presence like a shadow swallowing light. "I hope you're not expecting mercy," he drawled, his golden eyes glinting with predatory amusement.
The rogue leader tilted his head. "Mercy? No. But I do expect a conversation before blood stains the ground."
Rain tensed, his claws itching to shift. "Talk fast."
The man's smirk deepened. "My name is Lucian. And unlike most rogues, I don't kill without reason."
Nathaniel scoffed. "A pity. I do."
The air grew sharper. Rain could feel the power rolling off both alphas, two storms on the verge of colliding. But Lucian wasn't intimidated.
"If I wanted you dead, Alpha King, I wouldn't have let your little scout escape," Lucian continued, his gaze flickering to Rain. "And you—I know who you are. Rain Silvano. Former Alpha of a fallen pack. Mated to the very man who destroyed it. How poetic."
Rain's lips curled back in a snarl. "If you value your tongue, I suggest you stop talking."
Lucian chuckled, utterly unfazed. "You misunderstand, Rain. I didn't come to threaten. I came to offer a deal."
Nathaniel's patience thinned. "A deal? What could you possibly have that I want?"
Lucian's dark eyes gleamed. "I know what's happening to you. To *both* of you."
The words struck like a blade to the gut. Rain's breath hitched, but he masked it quickly. He saw Nathaniel stiffen just slightly, barely perceptible, but it was there.
Lucian smiled knowingly. "Ah. So you *have* noticed it—the way your bond isn't normal. The way it doesn't just pull—it *burns.* The way it doesn't just tether—it *devours*."
Rain felt a cold rush slither down his spine. How did Lucian know?
Nathaniel remained unreadable, but Rain could sense the shift in him, the sharpened interest behind his guarded expression. "Speak."
Lucian exhaled, as if he had been waiting for permission. "The Blood Moon bond isn't what you think it is. It's not just fate. It's a curse."
Rain's heart pounded. "Lies."
Lucian's smirk didn't waver. "Then tell me, Rain—why does it feel like he's inside your very soul? Why do you wake up feeling like your body isn't your own? Why do you ache when he isn't near, not like a mate missing their other half—but like a beast starving for something it doesn't understand?"
Rain's pulse roared.
He *had* felt it. The unnatural force, the overwhelming pull, the way his very blood seemed to hum in tune with Nathaniel's presence. It wasn't the same as an ordinary mate bond—it was something deeper. More consuming.
Nathaniel's expression was unreadable, but Rain knew—he felt it too.
Lucian folded his arms. "I know what you are. And I know what's coming for you. That bond? It won't just make you his mate. It will make you his. And once that happens, there will be no Rain Silvano left. Only the Alpha King's shadow."
Silence.
Rain's breath came shallow. His instincts screamed at him to deny it. To reject it. But a dark, quiet part of him whispered that Lucian's words weren't entirely false.
Nathaniel took a step forward, his golden eyes flickering with something unreadable. "You know what's happening," he said. "Then tell me how to stop it."
Lucian's smirk widened. "That's where my offer comes in."
Rain clenched his jaw. "What do you want?"
Lucian's gaze gleamed with something almost playful. "I want *you*, Rain."
Nathaniel's growl was instant. The air around them *cracked* with his fury, the sheer force of his possessiveness nearly suffocating. "You think I'd let you *touch* him?"
Lucian chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Not like that. I don't want to claim him. I want his help."
Rain narrowed his eyes. "For what?"
Lucian's expression darkened, the amusement slipping just slightly. "To destroy the ones who did this to you."
A beat of silence.
Then, Nathaniel scoffed. "*Did this to us*? You think someone *made* this bond?"
Lucian exhaled slowly. "Yes. And if you don't stop it, you won't just lose yourself—you'll *become* something else entirely." His gaze flickered to Rain. "Something even you won't recognize."
The words settled like a stone in Rain's stomach.
Nathaniel was quiet for a long moment. Then, in a voice colder than ice, he said, "Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you where you stand."
Lucian smirked. "Because if you do, you'll never know the truth."
The wind howled. The Blood Moon hung heavy overhead.
And Rain knew—this was only the beginning.
To be continued...